Lifeboat propelling mechanism



C. W. ALLEN LIFEBOAT PROPELLING MECHANISM March 9, 1937.

Original Fil ed Feb. 24; 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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March 9, 1937. w, ALLEN 2,073,383

LIFEBOAT PROPELLING MECHANISM Original filed Feb. 24, 1956 5Sheets-Sheet 2 W INVENTOR. immwwv March 9, 193 c. w. ALLEN LIFEBOATPROPELLIN G MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Feb. 24, 1936 INV' ENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1937 V l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFEBOATPROPELLING MECHANISM Clarence W. Allen, San Francisco, Calif.

Original application February 24, 1936, Serial No. 65,452. Divided andthis application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,422

4 Claims. (Cl. 74-136) This invention relates to life-boats and par-Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to a propellingmechanism therefor, the ticularly Figs. 1 and 6, A indicates a life-boatof present application forming a division of my standard constructionand B the seats extending pending application entitled Life-boatpropelling crosswise thereof. The seats serve two functions,

mechanism, filed February 24, 1936, Serial Num first that of seating thecrew and passengers, .5

her 65,452. and secondly, that of a support for the driving The objectof the present invention is generally mechanism generally indicated atC. -.to improve and simplify the construction and The driving mechanismconsists of a pair of operation of propelling mechanisms of the charrods2 and 2 which extend longitudinally of the acter described; to provideadriving mechanism boat and which are spaced apart a sufficient 10 foractuating the propelling mechanism which distance to permit one personon each set to sit may be attached to the seats of a boat withoutbetween the rods. The rods are provided with changing or re-arrangingthe seats or the air a series of handles 3 and 3 by which the rods tanksplaced alongside or under the seats; to are grasped when the boat is tobe propelled and provide a driving mechanism which can not be the rodsare guided and supported in eye bolts 15 blocked or disabled by theaction of ice and frost, a and 5 secured to the respective seats. etc.to provide a driving mechanism which will In addition to the drivingmechanism, a proavoid the transmission of strain to the bottom pollingmechanism is employed. This mechanism of the boat and thereby tend tostrain or open is mounted within the housing D. Suitably sethe seams; toprovide a driving mechanism which cu e n e at and j e e re end extendssubstantially throughout the length of thereof a shaft 6 is journaled inand extends 20 the boat and which is so arranged in position through therear end of the housing and is conthat three rows of people canconveniently and neeted throu h a uni sa jo the like, 7 eflicientlyactuate the same, in fact, permit at W a propeller Shaft 8 Which t nthrOugh least double the number of people in the boat to a Stern bearingand carries a Suitable yp of 25 be actively engaged in the propulsion ofthe boat pr p The propelling mechanism is carwhen comparison is madewith oars; to provide ried by t e S a t 6 a S d p sed Within and acombination propelling and driving mechanism completely enclosed by thehousing D. The pro- .which is capable of being set at neutral, ahead,pelling mechanism is identical to the propelling or reverse; and,further, to provide a single lever mechanism disclosed in my eopen n pcontrol within convenient reach of the oflicer in tiOn W the eXception,t0 the propelling charge of the boat for actuating the settingmechmechanism here disclosed is provided with means anism for neutral,ahead, or reversef for setting it in neutral or reverse in addition Theinvention is shown by way of illustration to the ahead drive; a reverseand neutral being in the accompanying drawings, in which an essentialfeature of a life-boat drive. 35

Fig 1 i n enlarged longitudinal ti In order that the neutral and reverseaction tion of a portion of the boat, said section showing can be ea yunderstood a brief p on of the propelling mechanism and the drivingmechthe propelling mechanism w l be submitted. Reanism whereby it isactuated; ferring to Figs. 1 t0 5, inclusive, it Will be noted Fig, 21 across section taken on 11 1 11 of that the shaft 6 carries two drums Illand H. 40

Fi 1; These drums are placed end for end longitudi- Fig. 3 is a crosssection taken on line III-III nally 0f the Shaft and are Separated by adisc of Fi 1; l2, which is keyed to the shaft so as to rotate Fig 4 is across section taken on line v v in unison therewith. Formed on the endsof the of Fig 1; drum adjacent the disc l2 are ratchet gears I3 45 Fig.5 is an enlarged longitudinal section of nd pivotally mounted on eachside of the disc the propelling mechanism and the mechanism and adaptedto engage the ratchet ears are whereby ahead drive, neutral or reverseis atpeWlS See Surrounding e disc is a m ring I6 .and extending inwardlyfrom said ring 5 is a plan View of thelifeqgoat howing and into slotsformed in the disc l2 are apair 5 the installation of the driving andpropelling of 0am members and I8. The exterior surmechanism; face of thering I6 is provided with a pair of Fig. 7 is a perspective diagrammaticview showannular flanges forming a groove I9 in the cening the manner inwhich the driving mechanism ter of which extends a fork 20 of a shaftrod nd propellingmechanjsm .are cgnnected, 2|, said I'Od being connectedat oneend a 55 lever 22 whereby the ring may be shifted laterally of thedisc I 2. Cams H and I8 are so shaped that during lateral movementthereof in one direction rocker extensions 23 on the respective pawlswill be engaged by the cams and both pairs of pawls on opposite sides ofthe disc |2 will be lifted free of the ratchet gears and the propellingmechanism will assume a neutral position.

If the ring I6 and the cams I1 and I8 assume" the position shown in Fig.5, only one pawl of each pair will be engaged and held free of thecooperating ratchet gear, as plainly shown in Fig. 2, hence if the drumsl0 and H are rotated a drive will be transmitted from the ratchet gearsthrough the engaging set of pawls to the disc I2 and as this is keyedtothe shaft 6 rotary motion in one direction will be transmitted fromshaft 6 to the propeller shaft 8. On the other hand, if the shiftingring .and the earns 11 and I8 are moved to a position opposite to thatshown in Fig. 5, the pawls, which previously engaged the ratchet gears,will be released and will be pressed into engagement with theirrespective ratchet gears by means of the spring 24 and the pawls whichpreviously engaged, will be raised to disengage the ratchet gears.Hence, during rotation of the drums H] and II rotary motion will betransmitted to the disc l2 and the shafts .6 and 8 in a reversedirection and when ring I6 and the cams l1 and |8 are moved at a midwayposition neutral will be attained, as all the pawls will be held out ofengagement. Lever 22 carries a pawl 25 which cooperates with the notchedsegment or leg 26. Lever 22 is also provided with a hand grip which isconnected with the pawl 25 and lever 22 may thus be swung about itspivot and secured in any one of the three notches shown, notch 26 beingthe one engaged when an ahead drive is desired. The middle notch isengaged when neutral position is assumed and the notch 2'Iwhen reverseis desired. V

When the driving mechanism is in operation rods 2 and 2 will bereciprocated in opposition to each other and means are provided fortransmitting the reciprocal motion of the rods to rotate the drums l0and H in opposite direction. This is accomplished as follows.

Formed on the exterior surface of each drum is a helical groove 29. Thegroove on the drum I0 is pitched in one direction and the groove on thedrum I in the opposite direction as clearly shown in Fig. 5. A pair ofcables'30 and 3| are anchored at one end, as shown at 32 and 33, to theeye bolts indicated at 5. These cables pass over pulleys 34 secured tothe respective rods 2 and 2 and then over guide pulleys 35 secured underthe seat. The opposite end of cable 3| is suitably secured to the drumand wound around the helical groove formed on the surface of the drum l0and then around and anchored thereto. Cable 30 is similarly wound aroundthe groove formed in the exterior of the drum I and also anchored. Thesecond cable is passed over an idler pulley 3'6 and the two ends,indicated at 31 and 38, are wound around the respective drums andanchored thereto. The windings of the cables 31 and 38 occupy the innerhalf of each drum and the windings of the cables 30 and 3| occupy theouter half of each drum. It should also be noted that the cables 31 and38 are wound in one direction about the respective drums and so are thecables 30 and 3|.but in a direction opposite to the cables 31 and 38;but in view of the fact that the pitch of the helicalgrooves on therespective drums is in opposition to each other the cables 30 and 3|will transmit a reverse motion to each other and thereby cause one drumto rotate in one direction and the other drum to rotate in the oppositedirection when a reciprocal movement is transmitted thereto from thedriving rods 2 and 2 A fourth cable is shown at in Fig. '7. This passesover guide pulleys 4| secured on an adjacent seat and the ends of thecable are anchored to the respective rods, as shown at 42. This cableattachment is essential as it insures reciprocal movement of the rods 2and 2 in opposition to each other and in unison, and it is alsoessential for the simple reason that the power transmitted to the rodsthrough the crew or passengers pulling thereon is alternatelytransmitted through the cable 40 to one rod or another and the cables 30and 3| connected therewith to rotate whichever drum happens to be thedriving drum. For instance, if rod 2 is being pulled in the direction ofarrow a, see Fig. 7, rod 2 will be traveling in the reverse direction,or that indicated by arrow b. That is, the

. crew or passengers on one side will be pulling on the rod 2, whilethey will be pushing on the rod 2*, but the push exerted on the rod 2will be exerted as a pull on'the rod 2 as motion is transmitted to therod 2 from the rod 2 through the cable 4|]; hence all combined power oreffort applied to the rods is transmitted alternately from one rod tothe other and the rod to which the power is transmitted is in turnsubmitted to the drum which is transmitting the drive.

In view of the fact that the rods 2 and 2 are supported and guided bythe eye bolts 5 only rod. In fact, the brackets 41 are nothing more A orless than a continuation of the brackets supporting the pulleys 34 butinasmuch as they straddle or engage the rods 46 disposed below theseats, rotation of the rods 2 and 2 is prevented. The ends of the rodsextend beyond .both the bow and the stern seat and they may be passedeither under and over the same. In Fig. 1 an oifset is shown in therods, as indicated at 2 Where said rods pass beneath the stern seat 50an eye bolt-5| is provided to guide the end of the rod, the constructionbeing the same as far as the bow seat is concerned. On the other hand ifit is desirable to bring the rod over the seat, the eye bolt may beplaced 'on top as shown by dotted lines. The rod may be extendedtherethrough, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the same being true ofthe bow seat.

In actual practice when a life-boat .is filled with crew and passengersone person on each seat will sit between the rods and one person willsit on the outer side of each rod; thus, there are three rows of peopleengaged in the propulsion of the boat. The center row ofindividuals'will grasp the upright portions of the handles, indicated at3, while the rows of individualssitting outside of the rods, or betweenthe gunwales and the rods, will grasp the horizontally extending handlesections 3. With the number of handles hereshown, it is possiblefor-twenty-one people to beaactively engaged ,inzthe propulsion A pairof guide rods are employed as of the boat. The boat shown is a sixseater and could not use more than twelve oars. Where cars are employedthey would be limited to twelve men rowing but with the drivingmechanism here shown practically twice the number can be employed andobviously the exertion need not be so great. People rowing, whether itbe crew or passengers, may face either forward or rearwardly, thismaking no difference in view of the fact that when they grasp the handlethey are pulling when the rods are traveling in one direction and theyare pushing when the rods are traveling in the opposite direction.

The propelling mechanism being completely enclosed by the housing B isalways safe against the entrance of rain or water as it is tight and, infact, may be partially filled with lubricant; hence any danger offreezing or blocking the propelling mechanism is entirely avoided. Onthe other hand, the driving mechanism, to wit, the rods and the cablesconnected therewith may be covered with spray during cold weather and assuch will freeze up but if they are frozen up and it is necessary to usethe boats the ice, which is formed between the rods and the eye bolts,can be almost instantly released by merely tapping the rods and pulleys.That is, a certain amount of play is provided between the rods and theeye bolts, hence a slight shock or tap of any nature, even with thehand, is sufficient to break any ice formation and if any ice is left itwill merely function as a lubricant, hence any freezing up or blockingof the mechanism which would permanently or even temporarily hinderoperation can be quickly eliminated.

Another feature which is important and should be noted is the fact thatthe driving mechanism is placed and secured on top of the seats and assuch permits an installation of this character to be placed in anystandard life-boat without any change to the seats or the air tanksplaced under the seats or alongside the same. Also all strains arecarried by the seats and transmitted to the sides of the boat, hencedanger of straining and opening the seams in the bottom of the boat isentirely avoided.

While this and other features of the present invention are more or lessspecifically described, I wish it understood that various changes may beresorted to within the scope of the appended claims. Similarly, that thematerials and finish of the several parts employed may be such as themanufacturer may decide, or varying conditions or uses may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a drive of the character described a propeller shaft, a pair ofdrums arranged longitudinally of the shaft and freely rotatable thereon,a disc secured to the shaft between the drums, a ratchet gear on eachdrum adjacent the disc, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on each sideof the disc and engageable with the ratchet gears, means forintermittently rotating each drum first in one direction and then in theother and each drum in opposition to the other, and means forselectively holding one pawl of each pair out of engagement with theratchet gears and the other. pawl of each pair in engagement to causerotation of the propeller shaft in either direction.

2. In a drive of the character described a propeller shaft, a pair ofdrums arranged longitudinally of the shaft and freely rotatable thereon,a disc secured to the shaft between the drums, a ratchet gear on eachdrum adjacent the disc, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on each sideof the disc and engageable with the ratchet gears, means forintermittently rotating each drum first in one direction and then in theother and each drum in opposition to the other, means for holding bothpawls of each pair out of engagement with the respective ratchet gears,said means also having means for selectively holding one pawl of eachpair out of engagement with the ratchet gears and the other pawl of eachpair in engagement to cause rotation of the propeller shaft in eitherdirection.

3. In a drive of the character described a propeller shaft, a pair ofdrums arranged longitudinally of the shaft and freely rotatable thereon,a disc secured to the shaft between the drums, a ratchet gear on eachdrum adjacent the disc, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on each sideof the disc and engageable with the ratchet gears, means forintermittently rotating each drum first in one direction and then in theother and each drum in opposition to the other, a projecting lever oneach pawl, a ring slidable laterally of the disc, cams on said ring forengaging the levers on all of the pawls to hold the pawls out ofengagement with the ratchet gears, said cams having a recess formedbetween them whereby certain levers are selectively released to hold onepawl of each pair out of engagement with the ratchet gears but leavingthe other pawl of each gear in engage- 'ment.

4. In a drive of the character described a propeller shaft, a pair ofdrums arranged longitudinally of the shaft and freely rotatable thereon,a disc secured to the shaft between the drums, a ratchet gear on eachdrum adjacent the disc, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on each sideof the disc and engageable with the ratchet gears, means forintermittently rotating each drum first in one direction and then in theother and each drum in opposition to the other, a projecting lever oneach pawl, a ring slidable laterally of the disc, cams on said ring forengaging the levers on all of the pawls to hold the pawls out ofengagement with the ratchet gears, said cams having a recess formedbetween them whereby certain levers are selectively released to hold onepawl of each pair out of engagement with the ratchet gears but leavingthe other pawl of each gear in engagement, lever actuated means forshifting the ring and the cams carried thereby to assume any one ofthree positions, and means for securing the lever together with the ringand cams carried thereby in any one position.

CLARENCE W. ALLEN.

